Washington
Big second half lifts Washington State over Arizona, 78-57
The Washington State Cougars used a second half surge with five different Cougs recording double-digit points to get past the Arizona Wildcats 78-57.
Dealing with a handful of injuries, Arizona (10-9, 2-5 in Pac-12) played with only eight players but kept the game close for all but the final 15 minutes before the strong depth of WSU (14-5, 3-3) powered through. WSU outscored Arizona 35-15 in the final 15 minutes of the game to turn a game that could have gone either way into a dominant display from the Cougars. Tara Wallack led the game in scoring with 20, tying her career high while Bella Murekatete set another program record at tipoff with her 136th career game played.
The game began with a game of ‘anything you can do, I can do’ as the Wildcats and Cougars first traded five point runs, then traded nine point runs and finished the quarter going bucket for bucket as neither team could gain a true edge. Wallack bookended both of WSU’s first quarter runs with treys.
Ele Villa helped WSU create some separation with an and-one to begin the second quarter, putting WSU up four. Bella Murekatete and Beyonce Bea each tacked on a layup to push the lead up to six. As Arizona chipped into the deficit with a 5-0 run, Charlisse Leger-Walker answered with a trey. The Wildcats put together another 5-0 run to retake the lead, but Murekatete and Wallack teamed up to outscore the Wildcats 6-2 in the final two and a half minutes to go up three before half.
Early in the third period, Murekatete fell hard to the floor, face first, and would have to exit the game. Without their all-time leader in games played, offensive rebounds and blocks on the floor, Arizona began to threaten. While the Wildcats were able to slowly chip into the deficit, reducing it down to one, WSU drew together an answer for each Arizona run attempt at the lead.
After the Wildcats cashed a pair of free throws to make it a one point game, Murekatete returned to the game and immediately made an impact with an and-one that had the senior center fired up.
“That was a huge turning point in the game.” Leger-Walker said on Murekatete’s and-one. “It really pushed our momentum out and it started on the defensive end. We got a lot more aggressive and tried to make them really take hard twos and once they started missing those we had transition buckets and really got on a run.”
Having their frontcourt leader back on the floor sparked the Cougars for a 9-0 run finished off by a Leger-Walker steal and assist to Wallack on the fast break.
Jenna Villa added a trey after an Arizona bucket to put WSU up 11, their highest lead of the game thus far heading into the fourth quarter.
With all the momentum on the crimson side and the eight available players for the Wildcats start to wear down, WSU put together a game sealing 10-0 run to open the fourth quarter finished off — yet again — by Wallack. Wallack finished her big afternoon with two more buckets, including her third trey.
“Getting in extra shots during the week has helped me gain more confidence and not hesitating, just taking what’s given to me.” Wallack said.
Wallack (20), Murekatete (16), Ele Villa (11), Jenna Villa (11) and Leger-Walker (10) all finished with double digit point. Both Murekatete and Leger-Walker recorded double-doubles with 11 rebounds and assists respectively.
“When we have, five or at least four people in double figures every game we’ve won almost every game,” Leger-Walker said. “I think a lot of that is creating shots for people and especially with [Tuhuna] out, who is a big playmaker for us, that falls heavily on me and Ele, just being able to get our shooters open and let them knock down shots is a really good feeling.”
“I almost love celebrating a good assist rather than a bucket sometimes.”
The Cougars third straight win also gets them up to .500 in conference play after dropping their first three.
While it was a very successful homestand for WSU, they will now be seriously tested on the road next weekend with a trip down to Southern California to square off with two currently top-10 ranked teams. The Cougars will first square off against the No. 6 USC Trojans on Friday then play the No. 5 UCLA Bruins on Sunday.
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Washington
Deputies shoot armed suspect in Leesburg Walmart parking lot
Deputies shot an armed suspect in the parking lot of a Walmart store in Leesburg, Virginia, late Tuesday morning, authorities say.
Detectives, deputies and special agents from the FBI had tracked the suspect down after he tried to rob the Bank of America at Dulles Crossing on Monday, the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office said. The suspect, who still hasn’t been named, didn’t get any money before taking off from the bank.
Authorities found the suspect was parked at the back of the Walmart parking lot just before noon Tuesday.
Deputies pulled up behind the suspect’s blue sedan at the back of the Walmart parking lot about 11:40 a.m. Tuesday. As they approached, the suspect got out with a gun, Sheriff Mike Chapman said.
Deputies then fired their guns at the suspect, hitting him. Chapman did not say how many times the suspect was shot or give specific information about his injuries.
Medics took the suspect to a hospital.
No deputies were injured, the sheriff’s office said.
Chapman said it was too early in the investigation to say if the suspect fired his gun or how many officers were involved in the shooting.
Stay with News4 for updates to this developing story.
Washington
The American story projected on the Washington Monument came from North Texas
Steve Deitz walks with the energy of a coach; however, he does not hide that he and his team are digital nerds and storytellers who specialize in large-scale visual content and software development. More specifically, the 48-year-old makes a living creating the wow factor at his agency, “900lbs.”
“We started the company working for the Dallas Mavericks, telling large-scale visual content on the Jumbotron, and next thing you know, Activision, Blizzard calls,” he said. “We get to work in the Perot Museum on the biggest exhibit in the museum, and then fast-forward another 12 years, and here we are now.”
His current project is wrapping up in the nation’s capital — sorta. Since Dec.31, projections of America’s story have been given to his agency.
“We’re telling the story of the 250-year birthday of America in the biggest way possible on the facade of the Washington Monument on all four sides,” Deitz said.
He said they started testing out the results a couple of nights before New Year’s Eve. Scenes from Thomas Edison’s light bulb, the Empire State Building, the Model T Ford, and the Industrial Revolution, to name a few, are projected onto the Washington Monument.
Deitz gives his team a ton of credit from the moment he received the call about the project. He also thinks back to the times when he was an athlete who loved to draw in Merkel, Texas. The kid who dared to dream beyond the city limits and outside of the box. The CEO is giving advice to that child who may need a little inspiration.
“Hard work, perseverance, dedication, surround yourself with a team of brilliant people that are way smarter than you, and do the best you possibly can,” he said.
Deitz said there is a likelihood his team’s creations will return to the nation’s capital this year.
Washington
Tracking crime in the DMV: Some areas see drop in violent crime, homicide
It is not the way any homicide squad wants to start an already busy new year.
Prince George’s County police Sunday were trying to figure out who was found dead in a car behind a strip center overnight and why. Police, who responded after a call about gun shots, told News4 they’re still searching for the most basic details.
It comes just a day after three people were shot and killed at a Temple Hills banquet hall early Saturday morning. Police told News4 that investigation is active and showing signs of promise.
But the busy start somewhat hides the bigger picture about crime in the area.
Despite the tough start to 2026, homicide in Prince George’s County was down 40% in 2025 percent compared to 2024, and violent crime on a whole was down 19%, both through mid-December according to Prince George’s County police.
In D.C. is a similar story.
“Now we have no crime in Washington, DC. We have no killing,” said President Donald Trump Saturday during a news conference about action in Venezuela.
While the crime rate is not nearly as good as Trump has repeatedly said, the District recorded five homicides in December and 126 in all of 2025. That’s down 32% over 2024. Violent crime is down 29%, according to D.C .police crime statistics.
In Fairfax, homicide is down 14% — but the county only had 12 total — and violent crime dropped 4%, according to the county’s online reporting.
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